Animal Attraction
by XenaPendragon
Summary: One-shot to console all of us who wished Xena got to tell Gabrielle she was pregnant alone, instead of shouting it in a barn. Gabrielle is training her horse when she realises Xena is acting strangely. What does she need to tell her? Featuring a bit of a rift revisit (not too bad) and more of Gabrielle's emotions, which is what we want, right? :')


Xena stalked quietly into the barn, standing behind Gabrielle in a long shaft of light, highlighting the swirling dust motes in the air.

The hair on the back of Gabrielle's neck pricked up as she sensed Xena's presence, but she didn't prise her focus from the horse in front of her.

"Co-mme on." She whispered, stretching out her palm encouragingly. "Come on, handsome."

Xena allowed herself an affectionate smile as she watched, her arms folded loosely.

The horse plodded forward hesitantly, encouraged by Gabrielle's soft tone and the tantalising promise of food.

"Come on, horse - come on, that's it-" Gabrielle felt the horse's velvety lips brush against her hand, and its warm breath snorted a cloud in the air as it snatched up the apple.

"That's it," She soothed, reaching out a hand tentatively towards its mane. The horse thought about it, then decided this was too much, and shook its head decisively.

"Yeah, fair enough. We'll just take it slowly, okay?"

"Hey!" Xena whispered. "Well done Gabrielle. You've gone and done it now though, you do know that?"

"What? Wha do you mean- you mean I can definitely keep him?" She said, bouncing up and down slightly like a small child.

This didn't go unnoticed by the brown horse, who shook his head and snorted in disapproval. Gabrielle glanced down at her bandaged foot, and instantly resumed her limp.

"Haha- well, would you look at that? Must've made a speedy recovery, ey Pepper?"

Xena laughed quietly,

"Pepper, huh?"

"Yeah, I've had a few ideas, but that one seemed to stick. What do you think?"

"I like it. And he's a beauty, Gabrielle. You're lucky to have found him." She admitted.

"Aren't you the best new addition to our family?" She smiled, turning back to the horse.

"Uh, yeah about that."

Gabrielle span back round, her face hardened, her green eyes burning into Xena's, just as they did when she was trying to work out one of her secrets. "What do you mean?"

Xena's worried expression and silent lips were enough to set Gabrielle's heartbeat racing worriedly.

"Xena, are you alright? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I might as well just come straight out with it." She said, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes briefly. "Gabrielle, I'm pregnant." She spilled, quickly dropping her gaze.

Gabrielle sought her eyes.

She laughed nervously, looking her up and down fleetingly. When faced with Xena's solemn expression, a pang clenched her stomach, hard.

"You're pregnant? How can you be pregnant? Xena - I mean, when did you - ? Who d - ?"

Gabrielle's face was flustered, her cheeks slightly blushing.

"I don't know." Xena stated simply, searching Gabrielle's face.

Was she angry? Or was that just the shock? Or maybe she was just confused - why wouldn't she talk?!

Gabrielle was staring into a space no one else could see. It was dark, bleak and painful. She lifted a hand sub-consciously to her own stomach. As Xena realised what she was doing, her whole body panged sadness.

"No- No Gabrielle," She said, taking her hand away from her stomach. "It won't be like last time. I can feel it."

Gabrielle looked up from her point of fixation and searched Xena's face.

"How do you know?" She whispered.

"I felt it with Solan and I feel it now. There's life within me - and it's good." She tried, smiling sadly at Gabrielle's grief-stricken face.

She had just been on a journey into her past, and it hadn't been a pleasant one.

"Gabrielle, this is as strange to me as it is to you. I don't understand it, but it's true. This will be good for us." She said, placing her hands on Gabrielle's bare shoulders and steering her gaze into her own.

"Yeah. Good for us." She repeated unfeelingly. "Well, congratulations."

Gabrielle put her arms strongly around Xena's back, and hugged her - tight - as she pressed herself to her tiptoes.

"You're right. We'll be fine." She whispered, as her mouth was close to Xena's ear. "Let's just hope we get it right this time."

Gabrielle flinched inwardly at her own choice of word. Painfully, sometimes there was never another to fit the bill. The word hope, and all the meaning it had ever held before had immediately been turned around. Now it meant the opposite. Evil, despair, malice. And loneliness. Disappointment. Longing. Betrayal by her own mother.

But that was long behind her. Though the scars sometimes stayed tender, they were more or less healed.

This time she would get it right.

She placed her own hand on Xena's small bump. She couldn't believe she'd never noticed it before. But now it all made sense - her strange behaviour, cravings, constant sleeping...

Xena smiled. She was glad Gabrielle had accepted it.

"Gabrielle. We're gonna have a child." She said, as much to herself as to anyone else.

Gabrielle laughed lightly, though still disbelieving.

Xena took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Come on, we'd better go and tell the others." She said, as they walked out of the barn, hand in hand. "I have to say, though, you weren't the first person I told."

"What?" Gabrielle retorted.

"Well, when I say that, I mean she already knew."

"Oh - Argo." Gabrielle sighed. "I knew you'd been keeping something from me, girl. I'll get ya back!" She shouted over her shoulder.

Argo snorted loudly to let her know she would have no chance.

She was Xena's favourite first.

AN: hahaa bit o' horse text to end with, hope you guys enjoyed it! i felt like i had to write this cause I really wanted a nice scene between X&G, not the scene that actually happened, why would you tell Joxer at the same time as Gabrielle? oh the pain. anyway, please do leave reviews, they are very much appreciated. and thanks for reading! BATTLE ON!


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